Give Syrian children hope through education

“We want our children to forget the violence and to learn, but many of us do not have the finances to send their child to school. My son Jawad, who is 5 years old, has changed greatly because of the school and I am relieved to know he is in safe hands."
Maha, mother of Jawad, and her family have been living in Lebanon for four years after fleeing Yamouk camp in Syria. With your kind support, we have been able to provide kindergarten education for 110 children, including Jawad, aged between 4 and 6 years old. Without your generosity, these children would have missed out on schooling, at such a formative stage.

Resources in Lebanon are over-stretched due to the huge number of refugees who have fled the fighting in Syria. Many live without electricity or any form of acceptable water or sanitation. The lack of toilets, kitchens, and basic items like clothing or soap and shampoo has led to a loss of dignity and increased the hygiene, and ultimately health, concerns of an already vulnerable population. Education is the basic right of any child but Lebanese schools are over-subscribed. Tired and traumatised parents find it challenging to provide schooling at home. Children kept at home can become disengaged from their education, more socially isolated and lack the motivation to study.

Through your donations, we have provided educational opportunities for very young children, enabling parents to have some time to themselves during the day, as well as ensuring that health issues are addressed.

This pre-school in Wadi El Zaini also employs female teachers from the Syrian refugee community, thus providing an important source of employment as well.

With your generous support, RIJ can continue raising global funds for local projects. Through RIJ, you can support sustainable projects that work at a local level in communities to empower refugees to build a brighter and better future. Thank you.

Education is a basic child right, but the reality for many children is that in times of war, it is often one of the first things that stops. The sense of normality and routine that it brings makes children feel reassured and more secure in their situation, as well as creating opportunities for them in the future. That is why through our work, one of our key programme areas is education.

With your support, we are providing hope of a better future, enabling 110 Syrian preschool children to attend kindergarten in Lebanon. The children are being taught by Syrian teachers, who are also refugees themselves, providing much needed normality for children who have experienced so much trauma already in their short lives.

These children may have been out of education for some time, so this is a gradual reintroduction with the hope that they can catch up with their peers within the host community and pass the entrance exam to gain a place at a local public school. The project is well linked up to local schools and coordinates with them.

Your support means that each child that is attending kindergarten is given a bag with essential stationery, paints, drawing book, notebooks and textbooks for English, Arabic and Maths. These are items that the parents would be unlikely to afford themselves and ensures that the children are well equipped to make the most of their learning experience.

As part of the project, with your donations, materials are being bought to encourage art and craft for the children including: coloured cartoons, scissors, colours, pens, whiteboard markers, paste, glue, A4 papers, stars and shapes.

At the end of the year, the project will be concluded with a closing ceremony where children present dances and activities to their parents and organizations and they will be provided with a certificate.

With your generous support, RIJ can continue raising global funds for local projects. Through RIJ, you can support sustainable projects that work at a local level in communities to empower refugees to build a brighter and better future. Thank you.

Links:

• Find out more about our work here